Thursday, May 3, 2012

The Young, Black, and Fabulous

The Young, Black, and Fabulous

DO WE LOVE IT?!: Christina Milian's Blonde Tresses & Multi-Colored Birds Frock

Posted: 03 May 2012 10:30 AM PDT

Christina Milian was spotted at a studio in Burbank, CA yesterday rocking a long black frock decorated with multi-colored birds. Oh, and she's back to blonde.  Come inside and decide if we love it.....

 

When Christina Milian stepped out in a long black dress decorated with mutli-colored birds, she took it up the notch by matching her peacock style-shadow to her dress.  So, blonde tresses (not platinum this time) orange eye-shadow, black leather jacket, blue skully and a bird-printed dress.....

 

DO WE LOVE IT?

 

 

Picture by SPW/Splash News

BABY FAB: Chris & Adrienne Bosh WELCOME A Baby Boy, Chris WILL Reportedly Be Back For Game 3 [UPDATED WITH DELIVERY ROOM PIC]

Posted: 03 May 2012 09:39 AM PDT

Miami Heat baller Chris Bosh and his wife Adrienne gave birth to a healthy baby boy early this morning in Miami. Get the pics and deets inside and find out if this will affect Chris' performance in the first-round series against the Knicks.  Deets inside...

Baby Bosh is here! Adrienne instagrammed the above pic of Chris in delivery room holding the baby saying, “I could sit around and watch them together all day :)”  Awww.

Chris Bosh (who was in NYC for tonight's game) hopped a private plane late last night to head home to Miami after he found out wife Adrienne was in labor. She tweeted the pic above saying, Thank God for private flights…Hurry home Baby :) Baby boy Bosh is the couple's first child together.  Chris has a 3-year-old daughter, Trinity, from a previous relationship.

Many were concerned that the birth would mean that Chris would miss game 3 of the Heat vs. Knicks....but that won't be necessary!

Reportedly, everything went well in Miami and Adrienne delivered a healthy baby boy.  The birth was confirmed by Miami Herald sports columnist Greg Cote who tweeted, 

It's a boy! Chris and Adrienne Bosh are new parents. Congratulations to all...

Journalist David Aldrige added,

Told Chris Bosh will be back in NYC in time for Game 3 tonight. Bosh's wife, Adrienne, gave birth to the couple's child this am in Miami.

And shortly after the birth, Adrienne tweeted,

From a Dream, To a Thought, To Reality, To being in our Arms :) Thank you all for the Positive wishes & thoughts!

Congrats on the baby and good luck in game 3 Chris!

PART 2: Bobby Brown Talks Whitney's Funeral And Bobby Kristina's Wild Ways On "Today"

Posted: 03 May 2012 09:14 AM PDT

The "TODAY" show aired the second part of their exclusive Bobby Brown interview earlier this morning.  And in his first in-depth chat since the death of Whitney Houston, Bobby talked about what happened on the day of the funeral, his DUI and if he thinks Bobbi Kristina is an addict.

 

Bobby Brown sat down with Matt Lauer this morning for his first interview since the death of Whitney Houston.  He began by discussing why he left the funeral of his ex-wife.....before it began.

He said that security (not the Houston family) asked him to move his "entourage" (which he says were his children) to make accomodations for other guests.  Bobby said by the third time, he'd had enough.

"I decided that, you know, it'd be best if I just left.  I kissed the casket, and me and my children left the building."

Matt then asked him about his recent DUI arrest and Bobby claimed that he has been "clean and sober" from narcotics for 7 years but still had an cocktail every now and then.  Sigh....Bobby - alcohol is your drug!  You are not clean and sober.

Bobby addressed rumors of Bobbi Kristina's drug use and rumored relationship with her "adopted" brother in a very vague manner.

"I know what she is actually doing," Brown said. "I think people are, you know, making assumptions of what my daughter is and how strong she is. People tend to want to control strong-willed people. And that's what I see. … I am her father. She talks to me about everything."

He never denied her drug use.....past or present.

Then he was joined by his three oldest children who did a good job of backing up his claims of being a good father.  Both daughter LaPrincia and son Landon say his bad boy image has followed him throughout life, but that's not who he really is as a father.

In one very candid moment, LaPrince revealed that she and Bobbi Kris had always been close, but lately their relationship has grown apart.  She fought back tears while saying this.

Bobbi Kristina declined the interview.

 

Watch the interview here:

 

MUSIC FAB: D'Angelo Set To Open ESSENCE MUSIC FEST + Ish From Usher & Elle Varner

Posted: 03 May 2012 08:53 AM PDT

D'Angelo is ready for his big U.S. comeback.  After performing overseas earlier this year, the crooner is ready for his American fans as he's set to open this July's Essence Music Festival.  Deets inside, plus Usher's album cover and Elle Varner's new AMMO magazine spread...

 

Oh yes.  Mr. D'Angelo has been working on his come back for years.  And it's finally imminent.  The "How Does It Feel" crooner has just been named as an act on the opening night at Essence Music Festvial in New Orleans.   July 6th, D'Angelo will take the stage in addition to other weekend acts like Trey Songz, Mary J. Blige, Aretha Franklin, Fantasia, Keyshia Cole & more.

Might just have to change my mind about not attending this year.  Full lineup so far:

Friday, July 6: Charlie Wilson, D’Angelo, Trey Songz, Keyshia Cole, The Pointer Sisters, Marsha Ambrosious, Q. Parker & Super Jay, Khris Royal, Kindred The Family Soul, Vivian Green, Stephanie Mills, Gary Clark Jr., Rebirth Brass Band, SWV, Goapele

 

Saturday, July 7: Mary J. Blige, Kevin Hart, Ledisi, Tank, Eric Roberson, Teedra Moses, The Stylistics, Robert Glasper, Dru Hill, The Original Pinettes Brass Band, Stephanie Mills, Big Sam’s Funky Nation

 

Sunday, July 8: Aretha Franklin, Fantasia, Kirk Franklin, Mary Mary, Melanie Fiona, Carl Thomas, Alex Boyd, Eve, The Stooges Brass Band, Estelle, Luke James, Raheem DeVaughn, Bridget Kelly

 

 

Usher just released his album cover for his upcoming Looking 4 Myself LP.  The above in-color version is for the deluxe LP edition and the standard edition will have a black & white version of the cover.  The album drops June 12th.

  

And because we're loving newbie Elle Varner, check out the "Refill" singer's new magazine cover & spread for AMMO:

And a few excerpts from the formally trained musician's interview:

What’s your AMMO?

My AMMO is definitely love. I try to find love in everything I do and every person I come across whether I like them or not. Just Love. Lead with love.

“Only Wanna Give It to You” was such a huge summer track. Will we be getting another single for this coming summer?

You can definitely expect something hot for the summer. [My Single] “Refill” and the video just debuted so I'm very excited for that. "Only Wanna Give It to You" is a great summer song. It actually came out in the fall so I'm gonna bring that back. We got the whole mixtape Conversational Lush; alot of great summer songs on that so yeah.

What can we expect from Perfectly, Imperfect that we didn’t get on Conversational Lush?

My album Perfectly, Imperfect is very different. It's, like, a singer/songwriter album. Like, if Alanis Morissette met hip-hop and R&B. Like, I'm speaking my mind. I'm very opinionated. I write all my songs so I have that kind of approach as a songwriter but the tracks are just full of swag and just crazy stuff. There's a lot of surprises in there; so it's dope.

You come from a musical family, what was it like growing up?

Yes my mother and father were both songwriters. Growing up in a musical family was like going to school before school. Everything I saw was a lesson in itself. I was able to be a fly on the wall. My mom had a lot of friends that were working actresses and musicians and I was just always around, like, taking lessons.

You have attended renowned musical programs including Amazing Grace Conservatory and NYU’s Clive Davis Department of Recorded Music, did you always know you would be a vocalist?

I've always wanted to be a singer since I was a little kid but I went through a phase right after high school where I wasn't very confident in my ability to be an artist. I had a lot of people especially in college tell me, "Oh, you should be a songwriter first like Neyo. Get your feet in the game as a songwriter." like, they kind of didn't want to say, "I don't know if you have it." I just took that and I said, "You know what? I'm gonna do it my way." Ironically I got an artist deal before a publishing deal so...

What has been your proudest moment so far?

Let's see... My proudest moment in music so far has to be [when] I was interviewed by a 10 year old. She did her school project on me and that was one of the proudest moments actually of my life because I said, "If I'm making a difference for 10 year olds I'm doing something right. I'm very proud of that.
 

Check out AMMO for the designer info for her looks.  Loves her.

Chris Brown Flaunts His New Toy Line & Art At His Own Art Show

Posted: 03 May 2012 08:02 AM PDT

Chris Brown's been all about art and toys these days.  He spent this week signing autographs of his creations at the TAG toy store in Cali.  And also showing off his work at an art gallery in Culver City alongside legendary artist Ron English.

 

Check out his fun pics inside...

From his F.A.M.E. album cover to his random works of art, the 22-year-old "Yeah 3x" singer showcased the toys & canvases he's been working on creatively with famed artist Ron English.

Breezy hosted an Art Show and new toy series launch with Ron called 'Dum English' and Made By Monsters at the Corey Helford Gallery in Culver City yesterday.  And was spotted touching up a few of his pieces:

Fun.

And he also stopped by the TAG Toy Store in Hollywood to sign autographs on his creations being sold:

Chris has teamed up with Ron, noted sculpture manufacturers Garageworks Industries and a leading production house in the vinyl toy industry to create an exclusive line of collectible toys.  And the kiddies were all about it:

Nice.  Loving the original creativity.

Pics via WENN/Pacific Coast News

FIRST GLIMPSE: Nicki Minaj's Pepsi Commercial Promo Still

Posted: 03 May 2012 07:09 AM PDT

 

Nicki Minaj recently shot a campaign for Pepsi and we have a look at one of her final pics inside........

In an ad set to debut Monday, May 7, Pepsi will release “Now in the Moment,” a new commercial to support their global campaign, “Live For Now.”

The ad features Pepsi Next ambassador Nicki Minaj and a newly remixed version of  “Moment for Life.”

In other news, the rapper is set to appear on "Ellen" May 9th and will hit the road for a 15-date North American tour kicking off July 16th in Chicago and wrapping Vancouver.  You goin'?

The Randomness:

1.  Congrats to DWTS champ J.R. Martinez as he and his girlfriend, Lauryn Anabelle, just welcomed their baby girl Belle yesterday!

2.  Wiz Khalifa now has a July 27th court date after getting popped for weed a second time yesterday in North Carolina after authorities found weed in his vehicle afte rhis concert.

Ray J & Sophie Monk Get Wet For Prince Reigns + Pharrell Williams For Gap

Posted: 02 May 2012 05:47 PM PDT

R&B star Ray J got wet, wild and sexy in with Aussie actress Sophie Monk in their ad for. See the pics inside as well as pics of Pharrell modeling for Gap.

Ray J showed off his sexy side (just go with it) in the recent Prince Reigns ad for shaving serum he shot with Sophie Monk.   In the pic, Ray J showers a topless Sophie with rose petals while frolicking in a pool.  Sadly the cheesiness factor seems like normal everyday behavior from Ray...

It's rumored that the pair signed $1Million deals to endorse the brand.

 

In other ads.......

Pharrell Williams recently shot an ad for the Gap in Hong Kong with famed photographer Annie Leibovitz.

Nice.

 

Rick Ross Signs Omarion to MMG! Reveals "God Forgives, I Don't" Release Date

Posted: 02 May 2012 03:33 PM PDT

Hip hop rockstar Rick Ross held a press conference in NYC today where he announced the summer release date of his much anticipated God Forgives, I Don't LP.  Oh, and that Omarion is gong to the Maybach Music Gang.  Deets inside....

 

Earlier today, Rick Ross held a press conference in New York (attended by friends Diddy, Swizz Beatz, and Lyor Cohen) where he made a few huge announcements regarding the Mayback Music Group.

First up,  MMG will release their second compilation Self Made, Vol. 2 will drop June 26 featuring the single “Bag of Money.”

After that, Rick drops his fifth album God Forgives, I Don’t on July 24.  He added,  “This is my best body of work yet.” 

And if that wasn't enough music, Meek Mill drops his MMG debut Dreams & Nightmares on August 28.  His mixtape Dreamchasers 2 will be released on May 7 featuring appearances from Drake, Rick Ross, Gunplay, and 2 Chainz.

Also during the conference, Diddy stepped to the mic to thank Rick for helping him take Ciroc to the next level.  The Twitter world was buzzing with news that Ciroc went from 40,000 cases to moving 2 million cases with Rick's endorsement.  Diddy added, “He to me is definitely one of the hardest working men in this business. This is no accident. This is all designed, this is all planned out.”

And with more shocking news, Rick announced that he has signed Omarion to Maybach Music Group.

“Today I become a made man. Omarion aka Maybach O.,” said the former B2K singer.  His first single “Let’s Talk” features Rick and samples Notorious B.I.G. and Salt-n-Pepa.

While talking about their new working relationship, Rick said of Omarion, “I ran into the homie, we had a few conversations and I flew him down to Miami and he played me a dozen records.  I was amazed by the music he put together. We had a few conversations and we made a situation happen. He’s a phenomenal entertainer. His dancing is incredible. He’s an actor, he’s a writer. I thought it would be a great move for both of us. I’ve been looking to enter the R&B arena, I felt he was the best artist to kick the doors open.”

Maybach O though?  Sigh...

 

Watch Omarion talk about the move to MMG with Shaheem Reid of XXL:

 

Maybach O? That’s your new movement? That’s how you feel right now?

Yeah, Maybach O. That’s the new movement, man. I’m so excited. I can’t even express, you know, how excited I am, you know what I mean? And just how this whole thing came along, man, it’s just…It’s been a blessing. There’s a difference between your time and when you want to do things and God’s time, you know what I mean? And this right here man, it’s been God’s time, man. I saw Ross in North Carolina, you know, and I was telling him like “Yo I’m bout to do…”

At the CIAA?

Yup. I saw him out there and I was like “Yo, I’m ‘bout to…you know, I need you on these records, man, you know what I’m sayin’? I’m ‘bout to do this ill so and so with so and so.” And he was like “Man, we need to have a conversation before that.” And we sat down and he said some real important things to me that not even executives have said to me, you know what I mean? He showed that love and he showed that respect and he was like “I believe in you,” you know what I mean? I can’t even count to you how many times on my hand in my whole career that I’ve actually had people tell me that.

Well this ought to be interesting...

DO WE LOVE IT: Cassie's "Balcony" Ft. Young Jeezy

Posted: 02 May 2012 02:22 PM PDT

Bad Boy artist Cassie had talked over dropped a new track called "Balcony" featuring Young Jeezy.  Take a listen inside....

 

On the sex-inspired "Balcony," Cassie gets airy about making love to her man with people watching (since they are on the balcony in New York City and all).  The Rico Love-produced single also features a verse from Young Jeezy.  As a follow up to 
King Of Hearts," the track will appear on Cassie's upcoming Electro Love album.

Listen to "Balcony" here:

 

DO WE LOVE IT?

Bobby Brown Speaks Out About Whitney Houston's Death On "The Today Show," Said He Didn't Do Narcotics Before Meeting Whitney

Posted: 02 May 2012 01:53 PM PDT

For the first time since Whitney Houston's death, we're hearing her ex-husband Bobby Brown speak out in his own words.  His response to being blamed for figuratively killing Whitney and how his current fiancee feels about their past love, inside...

In part 1 of this morning's Matt Lauer interview with Bobby Brown (above), the singer spoke out in response to those who blame him for introducing his ex-wife Whitney Houston to drugs.

Bobby maintained that he didn't even do drugs before meeting Whitney (aside from weed and alcohol) and when he was introduced to it in their relationship, his addictive personality allowed for things to get out of control.

Matt asked Bobby what he could have done differently when he saw Whitney spiraling out of control, and Bobby responded:

"I coulda done something different, you know to -- ensure that she had a longer life. But ... you have to want it, you know?"

He said they were so in love and so deep into their addiction that the first season fo "Being Bobby Brown" was a wake up call.  Their drug use was affecting their relationship and their daughter.  And they saw just how they looked int he public eye.  Whitney refused to do another season, and the couple also filed for divorce the following year in 2006.

Bobby says he had so much love for her and never would want to hurt her:

"My fiancee knows how I felt about that woman," Brown said. "My kids know how I feel ... how I felt about Whitney. It's not a secret, you know? I was in love with her deeply."

Bobby revealed he found out that Whitney died from his New Edition groupmate Ralph Tresvant while they were on stage. 

Part 2 will air tomorrow morning.

TV FAB: Gabby Sidibe Does "Wendy" & Another Round Of "Hairpiece Theatre"

Posted: 02 May 2012 12:56 PM PDT

The always entertaining Gabby Sidibe stopped by "The Wendy Show" earlier this morning to talk about her career and play a little "Hairpiece Theatre" with Wendy.  Watch their hilarious take on the NeNe Leakes/Sheree Whitfield fight inside....

Actress Gabby Sidibe, who stars on Showtime's "The Big C," stopped by Wendy Williams show today to talk about her life and career in Hollywood.  She rocked her jeans and animal print sneakers upon entering--then changed into white heels. 

Gabby shared that she was honored by The Dallas International Film Festival recently.  She received the Dallas Shining Star award to acknowledge her impact in the four years since she was cast in her Oscar nominated role in Precious.

Gabby, who turns 29 on Sunday, joked that after the festival she wanted to go gay line dancing but ended up at a drag show.


 

Watch Wendy and Gabby impersonate NeNe and Sheree's big fight on the "real Housewives Of Atlanta" reunion show below: 

TV FAB: Deets REVEALED About Keyshia Cole's "Family First" BET Series

Posted: 02 May 2012 12:15 PM PDT

We've seen Keyshia Cole being filmed for months, and now the deets have ust been revealed about her BET reality series "Family First," which will soon premiere on BET. Deets inside.....

R&B singer Keyshia Cole and her family are headed back to BET this fall for a six part series called "Family First."

We've seen cameras following Keyshia around for a long time this go around, and unlike the first series, we will get to see a new side of Keyshia.

Now, she's a wife to NBA baller Daniel Gibson, and a mother to their son DJ.  And while she's still working on getting out her music, we should get appearances from other family members, like momma Frankie!  Don't we all need a little Frankie in our lives?  

We also will finally see footage from that dream Hawaiian wedding. of Keyshia & Boobie's. 

"Family First" is executive produced by James DuBose of DuBose Entertainment, Michele Barnwell, Keyshia Cole and Daniel Gibson.

Will you be watching?

 

Mariah & Nick Reveal Roc & Roe's Birthday Looks + Swizz Beatz Talks Scandal, Reebok & Alicia Keys On The Breakfast Club

Posted: 02 May 2012 11:46 AM PDT

Leave it to Mariah to give her twins Moroccan & Monroe a luxe 1st birthday party...in Paris.  Check out a pic of their beautiful birthday looks with mommy and daddy, plus what Swizz Beatz had to say about shopping for his wife, his Megaupload scandal, and more...

In a J.Mendel flutter sleeved gown at the Plaza Athenee in Paris, Mariah Carey and hubby Nick Cannon spent this past Sunday night with their two favorite babies. 
 

The couple made sure a festive time was had by all with custom made French pastries, lots of balloons, toys and confetti.  How cute is Roe's sparkling party dress and Roc's matching white tux with is daddy?  Loves it.

 

 

And speaking of family guys, Power 105.1's "The Breakfast Club" chopped it up with Swizz Beatz this morning. He spoke on that complicated scandal with Mega Upload, the impending Ruff Ryders reunion, why he chose Rick Ross to help endorse Reebok, and how he feels abut his superstar wife Alicia Keys.  And why just how hard it is to get gifts for her.  Check out the full video of the interview above.

TALES OF THE EXES: President Barack Obama's EX-Girlfriends DISH On Loving A Young Obama

Posted: 02 May 2012 10:54 AM PDT

 

What's it like to date the future president of the US? Readers will get a glimpse soon enough as President Obama's ex-girlfriend Genevieve Cook has recently talked about dating President Obama (and their chemistry and his possible emotional issues) when he was in college. Deets inside.....

 

In the latest issue of VANITY FAIR, the magazine runs an excerpt from the book Barack Obama: The Story, by David Maraniss, to be published this month by Simon & Schuster.

What's interesting about this book is that it tracks down ex-girlfriends of the president and has them speak openly about their relationship.  Juicy right? 

Two such ladies were Alex McNear and Genevieve Cook who dated President Obama in the early 80s while he was still a student at Columbia.  In their pieces, they reveal him to be smart and WISE beyond his years, but also a workaholic with possible emotional issues.  If anything, these recounts make the President appear even more personable and relatable. 

Though President Obama has spoken in the past about his own emotional issues and often working too hard and not spending enough time with First Lady Michelle or the kids, through Alex and Genevieve's stories you get a glimpse at where some of these issue began.  First Lady Michelle has spoken about this too as something they went through several years ago and have worked through.   Read the excepts here:

Girlfriend #1 - Alex McNear

....The loneliness of Obama’s New York existence emerged in his letters to Alex McNear, a young woman from Occidental who had enchanted Obama when she was co-editing the literary magazine Feast, and with whom he reconnected when she spent the summer of 1982 in New York. Alex had always been fond of Barry, as she called him, and “thought he was interesting in a very particular way. He really worked his way through an idea or question, turned it over, looked at it from all sides, and then he came to a precise and elegant conclusion.” When Alex came to New York, she gave Obama a call. They met at an Italian restaurant on Lexington Avenue, and, as she remembered the night, “we sat and talked and ate and drank wine. Or at least I drank wine. I think he drank something stronger. It was one of those dark, old Italian restaurants that don’t exist in New York anymore. It was the kind of place where they leave you alone. I remember thinking how happy I felt just talking to him, that I could talk to him for hours. We walked slowly back to my apartment, on 90th, and said good-bye. After that we started spending much more time together.”

....The long-distance relationship with Alex McNear after that summer—they would drift apart as time wore on—was conducted mostly through a series of passionate letters sent between his apartment (he was then living at 339 East 94th, in Manhattan) and hers, at 2210 Ridgeview Avenue, in Eagle Rock, California. By her account, the passion was as much about ideas and words as about their romance—what she later called “that dance of closeness through language.” Alex was interested in postmodern literary criticism, and her arguments brimmed with the deconstructionist ideas of Jacques Derrida, the French philosopher. In one letter she told Obama that she was writing a paper in her modern-poetry class at Occidental about T. S. Eliot’s “The Waste Land.” His reply wove its way through literature, politics, and personal philosophy..

 

Girlfriend #2 - Genevieve Cook

The party in the sixth-floor apartment was well under way when Genevieve arrived: lights dim, Ella Fitzgerald playing on the stereo, chattering people, arty types, recent college grads, some in the publishing world, none of whom she knew except the host. She went into the kitchen, to the right of the front entrance corridor, looking for a glass, then decided it would be less fussy to drink straight from the bottle. That was her style. She fancied smoking non-filter Camels and Lucky Strikes. She liked drinking Baileys and Punt e Mes, an Italian vermouth. Standing in the kitchen was a guy named Barack, wearing blue jeans, T-shirt, dark leather jacket. They spoke briefly, then moved on. Hours later, after midnight, she was about to leave when Barack Obama approached and asked her to wait. They plopped down on an orange beanbag chair at the end of the hall, and this time the conversation clicked.

He noticed her accent. Australian, she said. He knew many Aussies, friends of his mother’s, because he had lived in Indonesia when he was a boy. So had she, before her parents divorced, and again briefly in high school. As it turned out, their stays in Jakarta had overlapped for a few years, starting in 1967. They talked nonstop, moving from one subject to another, sharing an intense and immediate affinity, enthralled by the randomness of their meeting and how much they had in common. They had lived many places but never felt at home.

At night’s end, as Genevieve recalled that first encounter when I spoke with her decades later, they exchanged phone numbers on scraps of paper. “I’m pretty sure we had dinner maybe the Wednesday after. I think maybe he cooked me dinner. Then we went and talked in his bedroom. And then I spent the night. It all felt very inevitable.”

Her diary entries about him:

Sunday, January 22, 1984
What a startling person Barack is—so strange to voice intimations of my own perceptions—have them heard, responded to so on the sleeve. A sadness, in a way, that we are both so questioning that original bliss is dissipated—but feels really good not to be faltering behind some façade—to not feel that doubt must be silenced and transmuted into distance.

Thursday, January 26
How is he so old already, at the age of 22? I have to recognize (despite play of wry and mocking smile on lips) that I find his thereness very threatening…. Distance, distance, distance, and wariness.

Sunday, February 19
Despite Barack’s having talked of drawing a circle around the tender in him—protecting the ability to feel innocence and springborn—I think he also fights against showing it to others, to me. I really like him more and more—he may worry about posturing and void inside but he is a brimming and integrated character.

Today, for the first time, Barack sat on the edge of the bed—dressed—blue jeans and luscious ladies on his chest [a comfy T-shirt depicting buxom women], the end of the front section of the Sunday Times in his hand, looking out the window, and the quality of light reflected from his eyes, windows of the soul, heart, and mind, was so clear, so unmasked, his eyes narrower than he usually holds them looking out the window, usually too aware of me.

Saturday, February 25
The sexual warmth is definitely there—but the rest of it has sharp edges and I’m finding it all unsettling and finding myself wanting to withdraw from it all. I have to admit that I am feeling anger at him for some reason, multi-stranded reasons. His warmth can be deceptive. Tho he speaks sweet words and can be open and trusting, there is also that coolness—and I begin to have an inkling of some things about him that could get to me.

Genevieve was out of her mother’s Upper East Side apartment by then. Earlier that spring she had moved and was sharing the top floor of a brownstone at 640 Second Street in Park Slope. The routine with Barack was now back and forth, mostly his place, sometimes hers. When she told him that she loved him, his response was not “I love you, too” but “thank you”—as though he appreciated that someone loved him. The relationship still existed in its own little private world. They spent time cooking. Barack loved to make a ginger beef dish that he had picked up from his friend Sohale Siddiqi. He was also big on tuna-fish sandwiches made the way his grandfather had taught him, with finely chopped dill pickles. For a present, Genevieve bought him an early edition of The Joy of Cooking. They read books together and talked about what they had read. For a time they concentrated on black literature, the writers Maya Angelou, Toni Morrison, Toni Cade Bambara, and Ntozake Shange.

Early in Barack’s relationship with Genevieve, he had told her about “his adolescent image of the perfect ideal woman” and how he had searched for her “at the expense of hooking up with available girls.” Who was this ideal woman? Genevieve conjured her in her mind, and it was someone other than herself. She wrote, “I can’t help thinking that what he would really want, be powerfully drawn to, was a woman, very strong, very upright, a fighter, a laugher, well-*experienced—a black woman I keep seeing her as.”

Thursday, May 23, 1985
Barack leaving my life—at least as far as being lovers goes. In the same way that the relationship was founded on calculated boundaries and carefully, rationally considered developments, it seems to be ending along coolly considered lines. I read back over the past year in my journals, and see and feel several themes in it all … how from the beginning what I have been most concerned with has been my sense of Barack’s withholding the kind of emotional involvement I was seeking. I guess I hoped time would change things and he’d let go and “fall in love” with me. Now, at this point, I’m left wondering if Barack’s reserve, etc. is not just the time in his life, but, after all, emotional scarring that will make it difficult for him to get involved even after he’s sorted his life through with age and experience.
Hard to say, as obviously I was not the person that brought infatuation. (That lithe, bubbly, strong black lady is waiting somewhere!)
 

Partying with the president in the 80s?  Sounds like a page flipper.  Check out the full article here.

 
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